Veterinarians had to quickly adjust their practices during the pandemic, doing more phone calls and video chats with clients and implementing more safety protocols.  | Getty Images

Vet checks go virtual

Dr. Kelly Loree was busy visiting dairy farms earlier this year, providing veterinary care to various herds in the Ponoka, Alta., region. The pandemic hasn’t affected the need for livestock veterinary attention. But while on the job, Loree was exposed to the COVID-19 virus on three different farms, the result of farmers’ earlier participation at […] Read more

Dairy farmers were able to implement strategies  to quickly deal with a supply glut and transition more easily than hog producers, who faced collapsing prices and a lack of processing facilities. | File photo

Dairy, hog sectors suffer hits

The dairy industry has rebounded from economic shutdown in early stages of the pandemic while the hog industry continues to struggle with low prices and logistics issues

Two of Canada’s livestock industries got savaged in the first COVID-19 lockdowns and outbreaks, but both have stabilized and one is recovering. Rather than the disasters that ravaged both the dairy and hog industries in spring, the two production systems have fallen out of the national news. “There’s a lot more confidence in the industry […] Read more

Many reasonable observers and analysts expected the industry to suffer far worse impacts.  | Mike Sturk photo

How processors weathered the COVID storm

For a while, problems at North American meatpacking plants were front page news. As infections afflicted thousands of workers at numerous major facilities, including Canada’s two biggest beef processors, the outlook appeared dire. Could they keep operating? Could plants that had been shut down be brought back into production? Would new health protocols and supply […] Read more


Enns Brothers in Manitoba partnered with McCain Foods for Free Fry Day, matching donations and raising $180,000 for STARS and Ronald McDonald House. Masked and gloved teams handed out French fries to the public and personally donated $10,000.  |  Enns Brothers photo

Equipment dealers fight COVID-19

Keeping the essential services of farm equipment companies rolling through the pandemic took some creative thinking

In farming areas there’s one category of stores that remain open 365 days of the year. Farmers need their local equipment dealers like Jack needs Jill, pandemic or no pandemic. Farmers are accustomed to standing three feet away across the counter from the parts guy, or sitting with their feet up on the sales representative’s […] Read more

Versatile’s factory in Winnipeg stayed operational throughout the pandemic to ensure their customers had access to parts and equipment.  |  Versatile photo

Feeding the agricultural machine during COVID-19

It was unclear if farmers would have access to parts they needed to keep equipment running when the pandemic first hit North America. Agriculture equipment manufacturers have been considered a critical service through the pandemic, so they have stayed open. But often, they are global enterprises that rely on international supply chains, and it is […] Read more


Farmers’ demands for nutrients stayed on track during 2020.  | File photo

COVID-19 pandemic skips fertilizer industry

COVID or no COVID, Mother Earth’s population needs food. Up to half the food we eat wouldn’t be available without fertilizers, explaining why the fertilizer sector wasn’t hard hit. The vital fertilizer industry avoided major COVID-19 disruption because farmers continue to buy commercial nutrients for their crops. Demand overall remained strong and suppliers for the […] Read more

Brews Brothers Bistro in Neepawa took advantage of the spring’s pandemic lockdown to fully renovate their heritage building – just in time for a second lockdown this fall. | Brews Brothers Bistro photo

Lean cuisine

Much like the people afflicted by the COVID-19 itself, the pandemic’s effect on the hospitality industry varies from manageable to catastrophic. Jim Bence, president and chief executive officer of the Saskatchewan Hotel and Hospitality Association, called it a “perfect storm.” First came the lockdowns this spring, and with it, recreational travel almost entirely stopping. Major […] Read more

"I think all things considered, we can be really proud of the Canadian processing industry for getting us through those early days of COVID and finding some stability in the food system." - Marty Seymour, Farm Credit Canada

New approaches needed to ensure food security

As much as it is a time of crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic is also a time for the agri-food sector to explore new opportunities, said an industry expert. This moment in history hasn’t simply been “problem after problem after problem,” said Marty Seymour, director of industry relations at Farm Credit Canada in Regina. The pandemic […] Read more


Business as (un)usual

Business as (un)usual

This summer, I asked a farming neighbour of mine in Roblin, Man., how his operation has been affected by the pandemic. Other than having to put on a mask a few times when he went to pick up supplies, he couldn’t think of a single way he had to change how his farm does business. […] Read more

Prices were firm this year, allowing farmers to seed a crop, manage it and harvest it without really having to worry about the pandemic.  | File photo

Agriculture hit by COVID-19 but mainly showed resiliency

The year 2020 did a big favour for market prognosticators. The pandemic was such a shock that every analyst had a valid excuse for why their end-of-2019 predictions about the coming year didn’t pan out. COVID-19’s enormous impact gave everybody cover for being wrong, unlike most years when they’re wrong because they got it wrong […] Read more